When Shen Xihe finished speaking, everyone was shocked. The sharpness and hidden anger in her words were barely concealed. To so directly strip away His Majesty’s face and throw it on the ground to be trampled – this was truly an act of unimaginable boldness!
“Crown Princess!” An Jingnan’s facial muscles trembled, showing both restraint and fury. “It’s one thing for you to make false accusations against my daughter, but how dare you slander His Majesty – this is a capital offense!”
Magistrate Tao would not stand for this. How dare they pin crimes on his granddaughter right in front of him, as if he were dead?
“Lord An, the Crown Princess has always conducted herself with proper restraint and would never speak recklessly. This matter concerns His Majesty and is being discussed in front of the Empress Dowager. Without evidence, how could she make such casual remarks?” Magistrate Tao stepped forward, his wise eyes staring deeply at An Jingnan. “Furthermore, what the Crown Princess said was that Miss An inappropriately climbed into the imperial bed – there wasn’t a single word slandering His Majesty. Lord An’s desire to protect his daughter is understandable human nature, but without knowing the truth, without thorough investigation, and without asking Her Highness the Crown Princess why she reached such a conclusion, you immediately accuse her of slandering His Majesty. At the very least, Lord An, you are attempting to distort facts, cover up Miss An’s potential crimes, defame Her Highness the Crown Princess’s reputation, and commit the crime of disrespect by a subordinate challenging a superior! More seriously, this could be seen as an attempt to sow discord between His Majesty and the Eastern Palace, shaking the foundation of the state and disrupting court order!”
Although An Jingnan was cunning, he was ultimately a military official who had spent years away from the capital. In An Bei, he was the local authority, and civil officials there lived according to his whims. How could he possibly debate against Magistrate Tao, formerly the Imperial Censor, one of the most formidable speakers among civil officials?
Seeing An Jingnan’s face turn red from being tongue-tied, Palace Attendant Wei Song stepped forward as mediator: “Please don’t be angry, Lord Tao. Lord An, don’t be hasty. The Crown Princess acts with prudence, and she has been entrusted by His Majesty with palace authority. She wouldn’t speak without basis. Why don’t we ask the Crown Princess how she concluded that Miss An at this moment…”
“The palace has been thoroughly searched, but Miss An cannot be found. I had already ordered Eastern Palace female officials to verify the whereabouts of all palace ladies and female attendants,” Shen Xihe raised her hand, and Zhenzhu bowed and presented a register. “All palace women are accounted for, except Miss An is nowhere to be found. And His Majesty has fallen victim to someone’s scheme and is currently… How could a woman have appeared in the temporary palace out of thin air?”
Shen Xihe handed the register directly to Minister Cui Zheng. As he reviewed it, this was the register Shen Xihe had compiled while dispatching the Imperial Guards to search for An Zhengyi. She had simultaneously taken inventory of all palace ladies, including the inner family members brought by officials, all verified with official seals from each palace’s internal officials, proving all personnel were accounted for.
Shen Xihe’s reason for doing this was hearing about Miss An’s disappearance and fearing other ladies might be in danger, thus verifying personnel. Naturally, all cooperated – even if they were displeased, it was due to the trouble caused by An Zhengyi’s disappearance, and they smoothly provided the desired results.
All registered ladies were present, except An Zhengyi was missing. A lady couldn’t have appeared in the temporary palace out of nowhere to share intimacies with His Majesty. Therefore, concluding that the lady in Noble Consort Su’s chambers was Miss An was entirely reasonable.
While Minister Cui and others were reviewing the register, someone quietly informed An Jingnan about what had happened in Noble Consort Su’s chambers. An Jingnan’s face alternated between pale and flushed. He stared at Shen Xihe with piercing eyes, now clearly understanding his daughter had fallen into a trap. He could only hope His Majesty would spare his daughter’s life, but with Shen Xihe coming on so forcefully, he felt the chances were slim.
Spare An Zhengyi’s life? Shen Xihe laughed coldly inside. Impossible. Anyone who dared to scheme against the Shen family must be prepared to forfeit their life. Not only would she not spare An Zhengyi, but she would also make Emperor Youning personally decree An Zhengyi’s execution, creating a deep rift between His Majesty and the An family!
“What did Her Highness the Crown Princess mean when she said His Majesty fell victim to someone’s scheme?” Cui Zheng couldn’t help but ask.
Shen Xihe had said those words precisely waiting for them to ask. She replied impassively: “Given what happened in Noble Consort Su’s chambers, and my responsibility for managing the inner palace, I naturally had to investigate the cause thoroughly.”
Her gaze carelessly swept over An Jingnan as she asked Liu Sanzhi: “Did His Majesty consume deer antler blood today?”
Liu Sanzhi’s heart tightened: “His Majesty consumed a bowl of deer antler blood with an Imperial Physician present. His Majesty has consumed deer antler blood in previous years without any adverse effects.”
One bowl of deer antler blood with an Imperial Physician watching certainly couldn’t have caused Emperor Youning to become so wild with desire.
“The deer antler blood with an Imperial Physician present would have been fine. Earlier, I had female officials check the study, and they found Yudian incense had been lit there,” Shen Xihe continued.
“What’s wrong with Yudian incense?” Liu Sanzhi asked.
Yudian incense was recently purchased for the palace from Shen Xihe’s Duhuo House. The fragrance was clear and calming, with the effects of focusing the mind and boosting energy. The study had been using this incense lately without incident – why had problems suddenly arisen today?
“Yudian incense is normally harmless, but it reacts with potent substances. His Majesty first consumed deer antler blood, then the Yudian incense was lit, creating an aphrodisiac effect,” This also explained why Liu Sanzhi and others present showed no unusual symptoms. “When this was purchased for the palace, these instructions should have been given.”
Shen Xihe summoned the eunuch responsible for palace purchases to verify the purchase orders, confirming that a batch of Yudian incense had been brought to the temporary palace. The eunuch also stated that when purchasing, the Duhuo House proprietor had specifically warned about this, so he instructed everyone who came to get the incense.
“Besides what His Majesty had lit in the study, who else obtained Yudian incense?” Shen Xihe asked.
The eunuch respectfully replied: “The palace masters all have their preferences, and such new items rarely gain their favor. Recently, besides His Majesty ordering Yudian incense for the study, only Miss An, due to her injury making it difficult to sleep at night, occasionally took some after finding it helped with sleep. Your Highness, whether it was the study’s guardian eunuch or Miss An’s quarters, this servant gave proper instructions in both cases.”
So only two parties knew about Yudian incense’s potential issue. The study’s managing eunuch was summoned; he appeared pale and distressed. It turned out that while on duty today, he had left briefly due to stomach problems. Who could have known that in that short time, His Majesty would drink the deer antler blood? By the time he returned, it was too late.
The maid who obtained Yudian incense for An Zhengyi was also called for questioning, confirming the Internal Affairs Bureau had properly informed them, but she knew nothing else. The Yudian incense from An Zhengyi’s quarters was searched and examined – the amount didn’t quite match up, with some missing and unaccounted for.
Emperor Youning, who had already walked out and was standing at the entrance, knew this unaccounted-for amount was in Noble Consort Su’s chambers. The emperor, who normally never showed his emotions, for the first time displayed unconcealed fury.
“So everything was Miss An’s doing – was the deer antler blood, not a coincidence either?” Wei Song frowned.
Shen Xihe glanced at him: “Just ask those who hunted the spotted deer.”
Soon, the Ping Yao Marquis’s heir and the dissolute son of the Zhen Bei Marquis, Ding Jue, were summoned. When questioned about this matter, Ding Jue said: “Today we hadn’t planned to hunt deer, but the Ping Yao heir pursued the deer relentlessly, nearly startling the horses. He almost fell from his horse!”
All eyes turned to the Ping Yao Marquis’s heir, who had to explain: “I am good friends with Second Young Master An. He knew we were going hunting today and sent a maid to tell me he was craving deer meat…”
Everything became clear – this was all a long-planned scheme by the An family to climb into the imperial bed.